


Repulsed

by thelotusflower



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Assumed Dating, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, cries in cryle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29949888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelotusflower/pseuds/thelotusflower
Summary: While fighting over where to eat, an old high school peer mistakes Craig and Kyle as a couple.Kyle does his best to understand the assumption, while Craig does his best to avoid all conversation of it. Somewhere along the way, they realize that they should be a couple.
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski/Craig Tucker
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26
Collections: JBK and Lotus’s Assumed Dating Prompts





	Repulsed

**Author's Note:**

> hello folks, please enjoy! based on this prompt: ➼ we were arguing over what to have for dinner when an old friend of ours from high school spotted us and said, “oh, it’s so nice that you two finally got together!” from foundyourheart.tumblr.com

“As much as I enjoy sushi, most of the sushi restaurants in downtown Denver are ridiculously overpriced,”

“You’re just ridiculously  _ cheap, _ ”

“No, I’m poor — there is a difference,” 

“How about Park & Co?”

“On a Saturday night? That place is bound to be packed,” 

“You’re so  _ difficult  _ and  _ picky.  _ If you don’t like any of my options, then why don’t you offer up an idea?”

“Mexican?”

“... What about Thai?”

“I give you an idea, and then you just  _ bull doze,  _ Broflovski. This is why I don’t suggest,” 

“Yeah, you just  _ complain _ ,” Kyle shoves him in the shoulder.

They stand in the lobby of the Denver movie theater, the smell of buttery popcorn teasing them, and making them even hungrier after their two and half hour movie. It was typical for them — watch a movie and get food after. Even the  _ argument  _ was typical for them.

It is just a typical night until Wendy Testaburger ruins it.

“Kyle! Craig!” A female’s voice calls from them across the lobby. 

Craig and Kyle both turn their heads to the oncoming voice, spotting a dark haired woman with curtain bangs, who they both knew as Wendy Testaburger. She smiles brightly at them, striding over to their side of the lobby, next to the tupid, rip off claw machines.

“How are you guys? It’s been so long! What are the odds?” She brings her arms around the two, squeezing them into a three-way hug. 

Craig shuffles away, taking a step back as Kyle addresses her more fondly than he does. He shifts his eyes between the two as they talk. “We’re good,” Kyle concludes with a nod. Craig feels internally grateful that he included himself into the equation. He just really hates small talk. “Just trying to settle on where to eat…,” Kyle flicks an annoyed glance to the other male. “How are you?”

“I’m good, I’m actually here on a Tinder date,” Wendy offers a semblance of a smile. “So wish me luck. She seems really cute and sweet though.”

“Well, I hope it goes well for you,” Kyle offers. 

“Everyone else good?” She glances between the two. “Stan? Token? Kenny?” She asks.

Kyle nods, sliding his hands into his coat pockets. “As far as I know. Though, I haven’t seen Stan or Kenny all night, so who really knows with those two,” he chuckles.

“Token’s still rich,” Craig adds.

Wendy squints at him.

“So as far as I know, he’s good,” Craig adds.

Wendy chuckles, humming at that. She rests a hand on Kyle’s shoulder and squeezes it, “well, I ought to get going. I don’t want to show up late on a first date.”

“Or miss the trailers,” Kyle says, sending a glare to the man beside him.

“It’s not my fault that traffic was terrible. Why are you blaming me?”

“You picked me fifteen minutes late!”

Craig waves him off, blowing a raspberry, “yeah, whatever, Kyle. As if time is even real.”

Wendy chuckles at them. “Well, like I said, good to see you both, and I’m happy that you two finally got together.”

Craig is stunned by the words, mouth hanging open to protest, but nothing coming out. Meanwhile, Kyle’s face paints vivid with crimson as he denies the claim. “ _ What _ ? Craig and I aren’t  _ together,”  _ Kyle lets out a nervous laugh. “What gave you that idea?” He furrows his eyebrows and places his hands on his hips. “And what do you mean  _ finally?”  _

Wendy’s eyebrows rise as she smacks her lips into a tight smile. “My bad… I just,” she blinks, looking between the two. She chuckles to herself. “I’m sure you will figure it out.”

With that, the female turns away. Kyle watches as she takes a place in the ticket line, pulling her phone out to most likely text others from their high school on what just occurred. Kyle presses his lips into a tight, straight line, considering to stomp right up to her and demand she explain what she meant. However, he already feels pretty embarrassed, and he is sure that will only make it worse.

“So, Mexican then?” Craig suggests, ducking his head down and stepping forward towards the exit.

“Fine, whatever, but it better be something authentic,” he shakes his head, and walks alongside the taller male. “What do you think she meant by that?” Kyle asks as they approach the door.

“What are you talking about?” Craig opens the door and holds it open for the redhead who passes through.

“Wendy. Like, that was …  _ weird,  _ and then the whole  _ finally _ thing? And the  _ you two will figure it out?” _

Craig shrugs. “Who cares?” 

“I guess? I just think it’s ridiculous that she would ever think we were dating… like it’s repulsive, right?” Kyle side eyes him, doing his best to catch the other’s reaction. 

Craig connects eyes with him for a brief moment before flicking his eyes away. “Totally,” he agrees in a dead pan.

Silence follows them as they find their way to Craig’s car. As much as Kyle wishes to stop thinking about what Wendy said, he suddenly feels absolutely  _ too  _ aware of the situation at hand.

He is not sure how it happened; how he and Craig began to hang out so much. In high school, they studied together and were both a part of the science club (when Craig would actually show  _ up,  _ at least _ ),  _ but they never really went out of their way to spend time together. It wasn’t until college where that happened. Now here they are, undergraduate graduation a couple months away, and he considers Craig a  _ close  _ friend.

Nothing  _ more. _

“You think she’ll text Bebe about it? You talk to Bebe. You could figure out what she said about it,” Kyle suggests as Craig turns his keys into his ignition.

“Have you found somewhere for us to eat yet?” He flashes his hazel eyes to the man beside him, the overhead light lighting up each of his features; providing a spot light for the light freckles that scatter across the expanse of his pale skin.

“I have to find something?”

“You said you wanted something authentic, I figured you should be the one to find it if you want it to have your stamp of approval.”

“There is a taco truck on Lipan street,”

Craig starts up the car and reverses out of the spot, Kyle staring at him as he does so. “So you’re not going to text Bebe, I take it.”

Craig doesn’t bother to glance at him as he makes his way out of the parking lot. “Why are we still talking about this if it is so  _ repulsing _ for you to think about?”

Kyle eyes him again, flickering his eyes up and down his illuminated features, caught by the headlights of the other cars. 

It does not  _ repulse _ him, truly. Craig is attractive, like, obviously attractive to the point where he has to know he was joking when he said it  _ repulsed  _ him.

It should repulse him though. It’s  _ Craig.  _ They are friends.

Kyle turns his head away, staring out the window as they drive out of the parking lot. He releases a breath. “I would just like to know what’s being said about me.”

“Who's to say anything’s being said?”

Kyle glares at him, letting out a breath. “There’s no way something  _ hasn’t  _ been said.”

“Again, who  _ cares _ ?” Craig flicks his eyes to the passenger. “We aren’t in high school anymore, and barely talk to any of the people she would gossip to.”

Kyle blinks, eyes falling to the ground. Truly, it is more about understanding what Wendy  _ meant _ . Why did she think they were together in the first place? Why did she say  _ finally  _ and  _ you’ll figure it out _ .  _ Is Craig really not curious? _

Kyle throws his hand up in gesture, suddenly feeling his heart accelerate. Craig seems completely uninterested, which isn’t unusual for him, but it makes Kyle feel as though he should not care either.

Yet, he does.

“It’s just — like. What right does she have to to just make vague assumptions like that? And then act like  _ we  _ are dumb, and  _ you’ll figure it out?  _ That is so condescending,”

He hears a breathy chuckle come from the person beside him. He perks his head back at Craig, who proves to be undoubtedly laughing at him.

“Wendy’s always been condescending, Kyle. It’s in her nature. Kind of like you,” Craig’s eyes click with his; a smirk blossoming across his lips.

“Shut up, I’m not condescending,” Kyle mumbles, trailing his eyes away, catching sight of the buildings they pass on the road.

“I’ll agree if it means we can stop talking about this,”

“Fine,” Kyle adjusts his line of vision straight ahead.

Although with Kyle dropping the topic, the rest of conversation tumbles away too, being replaced with the soft hum of the stereo.

He pulls out his phone, in desperate need for either a new topic of conversation or at least a distraction. He feels as though his train of thought came to a complete stop with what Wendy said, and Craig does not provide any fuel to keep it going.

The only words shared between them consist of Kyle’s guided directions as they get closer to Lipan street. In addition, Craig mumbles a few grievances while trying to find parking on the busy streets, but other than that, their conversation is sparse.

After finding and paying for parking, they leave Craig’s car and Kyle guides the way to the Taco Truck. 

Kyle is not sure what has gotten into him. He normally does not struggle to make conversation with anyone, let alone Craig, but here he is, unable to come up with anything virtually stimulating.

“I don’t think I could ever live in the city,” Craig suddenly says as they walk.

Kyle perks his head up, raising his eyebrows. He was so lost in his own thought that the sudden statement threw him off. 

Craig continues, “like, South Park sucks, and I’m not saying I would want to go back  _ there _ , but somewhere else…  _ like  _ South Park; just without all the bull shit.”

Kyle feels a smile lift on his face, “there is no place like South Park.”

“And thank God for that,”

Kyle scans his eyes across the busy street; groups of people shuffling together from one club to the next, alongside a whole row of parked cars. He sucks in a breath. “Yeah, I think I would probably lose my mind from the traffic here.”

“You do have the worst road rage of anyone I know,” Craig glances at him with a smirk. 

Kyle clicks his eyes to the other’s, “it wouldn’t be so  _ bad _ if people actually knew how to drive.”

Craig shrugs, glancing to the sky, “who's to say you do?”

Kyle narrows his eyes on the taller male before bumping into him, causing his eyes to filter down. While they have been this close before, it suddenly feels different; Craig’s gaze seems more  _ intense. _

Kyle clears his throat and steps out of the other man’s space, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m a better driver than you.”

“Are you, Red? You wanna prove that by driving us home?” 

Kyle glances at him again, eyes skittering over the grin on the other male’s face. It’s a nice grin, even with his slight overbite and overlap of his right pointer tooth. 

He looks away as he says, “you’re just trying to get me to drive your lazy ass home.”

“And did it work?”

Kyle releases a breath, the corners of his lips reaching up without permission. “Yeah, sure, whatever.”

Conversation comes easier than before as they stroll down the street of Denver. Soon, they arrive at the Taco Stand, and after briefly waiting in line and looking over the menu, come to a decision. Craig pays for his order, which he does not think twice about because Kyle paid for their movie tickets. It is something they usually do. It’s just simpler that way when they go out to eat. Kyle is unsure who started it. Although, now that Kyle thinks about it, he wonders if any of the waitresses or waiters, who had given them a single check, assumed that they were together. Usually, with Stan, they will deliver two separate bills automatically.

Craig beckons for them to sit down before Kyle can further get lost in his train of thoughts that is turning more into a train  _ wreck _ as time goes on. The noirette suggests they sit at one of the benches, but then complains as someone who is presumably homeless takes the seat instead.

“We can just walk and eat,” Craig suggests, “or go back to my car… I trust you to not make a mess in there.”

Kyle snaps his eyes at him. He knows that he does not let Clyde, Stan or Kenny eat inside his car. For this reason, his heart flutters slightly, which  _ fucking why?  _ It’s not sweet. It’s just that he trusts him, although for some reason, that still means more than it should to him.

“I know a place, actually,” Kyle says, eyeing a parking structure about a block down from them. He tries to not think about how the last person he went theirs with was a girl he was dating for a while last fall. It is just a nice spot, and since it is finally a little  _ warmer _ , it is bearable to be up there.

“Lead the way, Red,” Craig gestures a hand forward. 

Kyle does as he is told, the conversation taking a lull again, beside from the appreciation towards the good smell of the Mexican food that Craig holds for them. 

Even when they get to the parking structure, he doesn’t question Kyle as he leads the way to the elevator. As they stand in the elevator, Kyle glances at him. “There is a really nice view up here,” he places one hand over his other.

“If I had known you were taking me here, I would have brought my camera,”

“Well, I didn’t know. It was more of a spur of the moment thing,” 

“If it is that good of a view, then we may have to come back,”

_ We.  _

It’s not like it was unusual for them to hangout — for Kyle to come along on photo shoots through the Rockies and elsewhere. They often go on hikes together; have even gone on morning hikes together to capture sunrise, and on late night cruises through the mountains, as well, with Craig’s telescope. Those places were much more intimate than a parking structure roof in downtown Denver. 

He was so hungry during the movie, but now, he feels as though his stomach will reject anything he tries to put down there. His gut tells him that this is something he cannot ignore. Now that it has been called out, he cannot avoid it, but yet, he tries to.

The elevator doors open and they stumble through them. Kyle strides to the ledge to overlook the city, the mountain skyline behind the skyscrapers. Craig comes up beside him, setting the bag atop of the ledge, eyes scanning over the view.

“This is pretty nice, Broflovski,” Craig voices, patting him on his back which makes his eyebrows turn inward. It’s honestly not something that is new. Craig has done it before, a few times. Although when he tries to think of Craig being physically affectionate with anyone else, his mind goes blank.

They lean against the edge as Craig pulls the contents from the bag. Kyle watches him as he does so, the city light reflecting of his features. Dark waves fall over his forehead and down his neck. His hair is longer than it was in high school, and Kyle has to admit, he looks significantly better like this. 

Although, long hair or not, Kyle has always found him attractive. How could you not though? He just assumed everyone did. Kenny joked about it all the time.

He looks away, biting on the inside of his cheek. Craig nudges him a moment later, passing him a plate of tacos.

Kyle mindlessly thanks him as he takes the paper plate, their eyes meeting for a moment and the city lights reflecting in his hazel eyes. Craig holds the stare a moment before turning away. Kyle eyes the plate in his hand, and then Craig, as he unwraps the foil off his own plate.

It is such a tiny, small, thing, but he can’t help but notice the way Craig unwrapped his plate for him, before his own. He lets out a breath as he looks away.

He doesn’t take a bite; his stomach still twisting and full of the words he forces himself to hold down, in regards to what Wendy said. He filters his eyes down, biting on his bottom lip. 

Craig seems completely unphased by her words, while Kyle’s brain is paralyzed by them.

“Two for two, Red. These are really good,” he hears Craig say. “I don’t know why you even ask for my opinion when you have such good taste,”

Kyle’s heart stops, stupidly, at the stupid compliment. He glares at him, “you shot down  _ most  _ of my suggestions, you know… and it was  _ your  _ idea to get Mexican,”

Craig’s cheeks are full from food as he gives a toothless grin. Kyle has to actually  _ look away  _ because it’s too cute. He ducks his head down. 

“Well, your other suggestions couldn’t have been as good, so I’m glad I did,”

Kyle rolls his eyes. He forces himself to take a bite of the taco as he picks his gaze up to the Denver skyline again. 

“Another reason that I need to leave the city is because of all of this light pollution,” Craig lifts his head to look up at the stars. Kyle follows his gaze up the night sky.

“Yeah,” Kyle frowns, “it’s not nearly as visible as it was in South Park… but you can still see a good number of constellations still,” he lowers his gaze to Craig.

Craig lowers his gaze as well and shrugs. “I guess, but it’s not the same,” he keeps his line of sight on Kyle. “Where do you think you will go after graduation?”

“I mean, you know I’m getting my masters,”

“I mean, after that,”

Kyle sucks in a breath. “I mean… somewhere  _ like  _ South Park would be nice, like you said… minus all the bull shit.”

A smile spreads out across Craig’s face, which makes that flutter return to Kyle’s chest. But then he says, “well, wherever you go, I’m sure the bull shit will follow,” and ruins it.

Kyle tightens his lips into a straight line and glares at the sniggering male before he decides to punch him in the shoulder. Craig laughs it off though, and looks away with a contented sigh, while Kyle keeps his eyes locked onto him.

As he thinks of himself after graduate school graduation, he can’t help but think of Craig. He realizes, in this moment, that he wants to be where he is. He feels so stupid in this moment for not realizing it before.

“You know that I was kidding about… us being a  _ couple… _ being repulsing, right?”

Craig snaps his eyes at him, and for a moment, with their eyes securely locked on one another, Kyle thinks he will actually say something meaningful. However, what comes from his mouth is, “oh great… we are talking about this again.”

Kyle’s heart plunges into his stomach. He drops the eye contact and looks to the ground. “You are such a dick.”

“How? You’re the one who said it’s repulsive to be with me.”

“I was  _ kidding,”  _ Kyle snaps his eyes back up to hazel. “I just said that.”

Craig tilts his head, observing him. Then, a smirk unfolds across his face. “So, you’re saying you want to be with me then?”

“What? No — God no, how is that what you got from this?”

“You’ve been quiet the whole night, and when you do speak, it’s only about that,”

“Get over yourself,  _ dick _ . I just wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt your non-existent feelings.”

“Really? Well, where was the confirmation that you were joking, the other  _ hundred  _ of times that you’ve insulted me? Were you  _ serious  _ in those times?”

“You know what? Yeah. Yeah, I was. I’m sure you deserve everything I’ve ever thrown at you. And in fact, yeah, I do think it would be repulsive to be with you, too, because you’re incapable of having any conversation, at all, that even remotely touches on your feelings.”

Craig raises his eyebrows at him. Kyle watches as he sets the plate down onto the ledge, next to Kyle’s own that has barely been touched. His heart beat picks up as the taller man places his hands on either side of his face. He watches him with frantic eyes before Craig lunges forward, pressing his lips to Kyle’s own.

The kiss is immediate confirmation that he is indeed, in no way, whatsoever, at all, repulsed by this person. In fact, he thinks it may be quite the opposite as he grabs onto the collar of his shirt, pulling and needing him closer.

There is no going back now, no way to deny these feelings inside of him for this other man. A shiver runs down his spine as their lips brush together in unison; heat burning up his cheeks. For the first time that night, his mind is finally put at ease; his fears of rejection both come to light and fade away as he is held by this person that he undoubtedly has strong feelings for.

When Craig pulls back, he is left breathless, and he does not even think it is because of the kiss itself. Just  _ Craig.  _ He swallows, flickering eyes back and forth.

He doesn’t let go off his collar, nor does Craig release him. Kyle leans back up for more without even thinking about it, letting his instinct take over as their lips brush together again; this time in a much more slow and graceful manner. 

As they pull back, Kyle drags his heavy eyelids open and moves his palms over the expanse of the other male’s chest. 

“I haven’t stopped thinking about what Wendy said since we ran into her,”

“Neither have I.”

“But you - !”

Craig smirks, “are incapable of talking about my feelings… yeah, I know.”

Kyle chuckles, a sudden urge to kiss him again rushes over him. He reaches forward to bring their lips together again, wondering silently how and why they didn’t realize sooner.

“So, you  _ do  _ have feelings, huh?” Kyle breaks away again, Craig’s hands traveling to the shorter man’s shoulders while Kyle threads his fingers in the hair he was admiring only a short time ago.

Craig chuckles, rubbing Kyle's shoulders as he gleams at him. “Yeah, I guess I do… does that repulse you?”

Kyle chuckles, shaking his head as he loops his hands around the taller male’s neck. “Not in the slightest,” he grins, before pressing their lips together again.

As they kiss the night away, their food going cold, however neither one of them seems to care very much about the original cause of their small argument; hungrier instead for something else.

  
  
  



End file.
